Off-year elections frequently are regarded by the populace as an afterthought. In 2013, the most recent off-year election, 38 percent of registered Clark County voters bothered to turn in ballots — a paltry total when compared with 80 percent for the presidential election of 2012 and with 51 percent for last year’s midterm election.
In reality, however, off-year elections often have a more direct impact upon residents. Officials who serve as county councilors or city councilors or school board members can affect the daily lives of people in Clark County, often to a greater degree than the President of the United States or the local congressional representative. As Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman explained during a meeting with The Columbian’s Editorial Board: “The president of the United States doesn’t really affect your daily life that much. But the people who do — the port commissioners and the city council members and the school board directors — are literally making decisions that affect your daily life, from the quality of your roads, to the books your kids read in school, to how fast a first responder gets to you.”
That truism is on display again with this election cycle. Ballots are available today and soon will be arriving in the mailboxes of registered voters. Those ballots must be returned or be mailed and postmarked by Election Day on Nov. 3.
This fall’s choices include myriad races for city councils and school boards, along with a couple races that will garner the bulk of attention. For the first time, Clark County residents are selecting a council chair, a position that was created with passage of a county charter last year. The same goes for a Clark County council member from District 2. In addition, there is a race for a spot as a Port of Vancouver commissioner, a job whose profile has greatly increased over the past two years.
